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Monday, March 30, 2015

1. To keep yourself humble - You can never know everything about being a makeup artist from makeup technique to business and marketing. You can always learn something new. If you feel you know everything there is to know about makeup, you are not challenging yourself enough.2. To stay up to date on cosmetic technology - It's important to know the evolution of makeup and to be able to predict and have some awareness of where the industry is going.3. To stay up to date on the industry - It's important to keep a pulse on industry leaders, products that are being used by other artist, and changes in the way we work as an industry4. To stay confident - Confidence as a makeup artist comes from failing over and over through trial and error. We learn from our mistakes and refine our skills. By taking current makeup classes we continue to refine our skills while staying relevant.5. To stay informed - How awful would it be to have your client ask you about the latest beauty product and you look back at them like a deer in headlights? Of course we can't know it all but it helps to at least know a thing or two related to their question. It creates almost an uneasiness that maybe you don't know what your doing?6. To network - By attending makeup workshops, events, or seminars you get the opportunity to meet other makeup artist and industry leaders.7. To learn tips and tricks - It's easy to think that we know the best, fastest, and most efficient way to apply makeup or pack our kits. Often times during classes you can pick up little golden nuggets of information you may never have heard of before. Even if you know the entire curriculum you might gain knowledge on a faster way to do a smokey eye, or the best place to network.8. To be well rounded - You can never know enough, it's always great to know about different aspects of our industry and stay relevant.

Monday, March 16, 2015

The makeup industry is saturated with tons of talented people from YouTube gurus, to Instagram glamazons to industry working makeup artist. What is an industry working makeup artist? I consider it to be professional makeup artist working in film, television, editorial. A makeup artist that actually gets paid living wages and does not work for free. There is a big distinction between makeup artist that win Emmy's and makeup artist that have 20K followers on Instagram. So how did they get there?

1. They figured out what kind of makeup artist they wanted to beRefining your skills as an editorial makeup artist is not the same as runway makeup or the same as bridal makeup. Of course there are elements that overlap each other such as matching foundation, or color theory, but succeeding in each field takes different approaches. If you want to succeed in bridal you need to have strong relationships with the best wedding planners, a portfolio full of bridal clients, the ability to apply makeup to photograph flawlessly, and to apply makeup in a way that will last the entire day. If you are looking to be a makeup artist in runway you need to work well in team settings, be creative, and be extremely efficient. The plan of action is different for each field, the people you need to build relationships with is different, and the makeup knowledge you need to acquire is different for each field. Now do you understand why it's so important to know what kind of makeup artist you want to be? Otherwise you will spread yourself thin, and not create any real waves in your ideal niche.2. They learned to sell their best product - themselvesIn our industry we need to network with clients, celebrities, wedding planners, creative directors, other makeup artist, cosmetic lines, and more. You can be the best blender of eye shadows, match foundations flawlessly, but if you don't know how to sell yourself, it's all for nothing. What do I mean by sell yourself? I mean learn to highlight your best qualities, do you make people feel comfortable? Are you considerate of others? Are you a team player? What do you think people say about your work when you leave the room? Are you upbeat and easy to work with? Sometimes this will make the difference between you booking a job or loosing it to someone with less experience but a better attitude. I feel like this was more natural for people to do 20 years ago or longer. Why? Because technology was so different, people interacted in person on a regular basis. Whereas we are quick to shoot a text or email, and interacting with people is now more of a treat. So learn how to have presence, how to be better at having conversations, how to tell a compelling story, how to have tact, how to have better relationships, and when to be quiet. One of my favorite examples of someone who has mastered this is Kevin James Bennett, he has taught workshops, presented makeup products on QVC, and even in his writing you can get a feel for his unique charm.

3. They gained knowledge in other areas-How to run a business legally (taxes, LLC's)-Marketing-The importance of budgeting-How to influence people-How to be organized-Have great time management skills-Have leadership skills-Delegating tasks to others-Be a problem solver-How to say no (graciously)-Listening to others-Pick up the phone-Service pricing

Modern skills to master:-How to blog-How to use social media to market your services and network-Basic photo editing-How to add text to images-Basic web design or at least how to update yours-How to create videos-How to edit videos-How to collect subscriber emails-How to setup email newsletters-How to text4. They created profitable makeup kitsThey created makeup kits to service all their clients needs from the most pale actress to the darkest actress they could apply foundation without having to worry if they had the supplies to create the look they wanted. Products are purchased to be used on clients and not to have every color or product in a "collection" you aren't a pokemon collector, you don't need every product or shade. A makeup artist knows, that you can mix and combine colors to create the perfect color or shade. Most makeup artist manage to really keep their kits pretty small and light weight. Remember you have to carry this thing around, up stairs, and sometimes out doors.5. They gained knowledgeMost iconic makeup artist had no choice but to assist and do it for free. It was considered to be a privilege and honor to learn our trade at the hands of an industry working makeup artist. Now there are hundreds of makeup schools, workshops, online resources, and more. Make sure that any route you take you learn from the best in your field. They might not have the most Instagram followers but they probably have Emmy's, did makeup for your favorite movies, and hardly wear makeup, imagine that? 6. And gained even more knowledgeTheir education never stopped, they continued to attend classes, workshops, and seminars. They evolved as an artist with the industry never losing sight of who they were. They taught other artist their techniques and read books. Like I've mentioned before learning from a makeup book has been one of my personal secrets to success.

7. They practiced, practiced, and practicedThey say you become a master when you have clocked in 10,000 hours in a field. So what are you waiting for? Give make overs to family, friends and anyone you can get your hands on. Try to expose yourself to different face shapes, races, ages, weight, etc. These are all learning experiences and each person's unique attributes will make you a better makeup artist tomorrow.

8. They never gave upI once heard a saying "The only way to fail is to quit, otherwise you've just learned thousands of ways to not do something" in makeup it is the same. Every experience teaches you something - a new method of application, how to deal better with people, or how to better prepare for a job next time. Our industry is an over saturated one, and not everyone makes it. Those who stand the test of time make it, because they never gave up.

The Westmores of Hollywood, Frank Westmore, etc., J.B. Lippincott Co., New York, 1976. The definitive book by the youngest brother of the Westmore family on their rise in Hollywood studios to a dominance in the field. Worth reading.

About Me

Welcome to How to Become a Makeup Artist

I'm Brandie - I'm a freelance makeup artist here in LA. I'm passionate about helping other makeup artist, beauty, and business. This blog is a place where I want to share all the things to help you succeed